Fateful Meeting
by Hellmouth23
Summary: What started out as a meeting in a dingy Bar might later turn out to be one of the best things to happen to one Miss Kate Austen. My very first Skate AU Fic. NEW CHAP IS UP.
1. Chapter 1

**Fateful Meeting**

**Hey guys! I come bringing yet another story, but this time it's not jate at all, it's skate. Ever since I started writing jate fics, I've always had the urge to do a skate fic as well, so here goes and please forgive me jaters!!**

**Summary : What if Sawyer had met Kate instead of Cassidy? Well here he did, and from there on he shows her a new way of life, but what happens when something comes along the way, something so big that it splits them up in the process. Although fate has a mysterious way of working so maybe they might just see each other again. By the way guys this story is placed in Sydney because Jack wanted to be near his sister, so he and kate moved there. The crash never even occured. **

**P.S. I do not own lost or any of it's characters, although I do own the action figures so I hope that doesn't get me sued.**

Enjoy

This was the fifth day in a row that he was working at the hospital, and as much as she was aware of how important his job was to him, she never expected it to go to the point where it actually came before her. However she knew that in some ways this was part of the deal of being married to one Jack Shepherd, but she sure used to miss their early dating days when they spent a lot more time together, by just merely going out for a meal or watching a movie, but now, two years later all she had to look at were the bare walls of her and jack's Suburban home, and as the clock chimed again annoyingly for the ninth time, she had had enough and decided to go out for the night, not even bothering to call jack and let him know where she was. So with that she got into her white Mercedes and drove off to possibly find the nearest form of life and interest.

Ten minutes later she was parking in front of the Patty's pub sign and as she stepped out of her car, she accidently bumped into a broad shouldered figure who seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, judging by the fact that she barely had the time to get a look at the person's face let alone apologise for bumping into them.

Following that she pressed the button on her car key and then walked towards the direction of the bustling club, willingly embracing the life and activity after living without it for so long. The very moment she stepped into the club, she was a little taken back by the amount of people in there, although a part of her wasn't surprised because it did happen to be a Friday night so like her everyone felt like taking a break, just like she kept on wishing for all this time because she was seriously going insane with being constantly cooped up at home with nothing to do. That wasn't the kind of woman she was.

After spending a few more minutes of pushing her way through the thickening crowd, she found herself at the bar area and there just happened to be one last vacant seat, which was situated to a very familiar form she briefly noted and upon walking forward and placing herself next to the form, she right away noticed that it was the same person who had bumped into her earlier.

"What can I get ya miss" the bartender asked out of instinct.

"Uh, just a light beer, thanks" she replied once she managed to take her eyes off the mysterious figure who still sat next her eyeing his drink like his life depended on it. A part of her just wanted to leave him to his own business, but the curiosity in her won out in the end and with that she neared her face towards the figure offering a simple "hey".

He had been having a real crappy day today. He had been unfortunate enough to run into his old mentor Gordie today and all the man wanted in return from him was the money he had been owing him for a long time, but how the hell could he pay him when he barely had enough to feed himself with. Unfortunately a life of conning only paid the bills occasionally and he was on a bit of a dry spell at the moment, not because he wanted to stop, but because he was starting to get very familiar with the people who were situated around his usual hits. So all he could do for the moment was lay low for a while, that was until another opportunity came along. So with that he decided to go to good old Patty's pub to hopefully drown his miseries and worries away and possibly meet another target in the process.

So now here he was, sitting alone at the Bar and on his fourth beer, but soon enough he was joined by someone else, someone who seemed quite keen to get to know him and when the person finally and boldly announced herself, he gradually looked up in response and was temporarily mesmerised at the vision in front of him. He had been with many women to say the least, but none of them compared to this experience in the slightest. She was the picture of perfection at first glance, right down from her curved and luscious lips to the very way her skin stretched just to the right way when she smiled, suddenly showing off the sprinkling of freckles that spread across her nose and cheeks and all he could do in response was offer her a smile in along with a slight nod to merely acknowledge her presence, and with that she took it as a sign that he was somehow interested, although the reasons weren't as clear to her as it was to him.

"I'm kate" the brunette announced holding out her hand waiting anxiously for him to return the sentiment in the way she hoped he would.

At first he was a bit wary of getting involved with someone, but as he took a second glance of her appearance in all it's entirety, he could see that she was clearly well off and with that he allowed his manly charms to take control from there on, because he knew that if he allowed his emotions to take control instead, he knew that he would not be able to go through with it, not with someone so beautiful and innocent.

"Sawyer" he simply said holding out his hand to make contact with hers and they both suddenly shivered with the little spark that suddenly ignited upon their instinctual contact, much to their shock and surprise, and with that they slowly pulled away, ignoring the shivers that still travelled up and down their spines, releasing unexpected feelings they never even knew existed within them all this time. Following this, they both went into a moment of silence trying to maintain some kind of control over their rapidly growing emotions that they surmised rooted from the alcohol they had consumed so far, but a part of it rooted from the rush of pure unadulterated lustful curiosity that dominantly replaced itself with the shivers that now faintly lingered within them, and the more they tried to ignore it, the more they wanted to experience it and satisfy it, so with that kate looked upon the blonde haired man once again, mentally telling him what she wanted from him at the moment and to her good luck he willingly complied right away, as he too had been considering it for quite a while now, for more reasons than one, and with that they left the club and drove off in her car to the nearest Hotel to hopefully work on quenching some of those new found desires.

**Hey guys, there it is and I just wanna let you know that this is just the beginning of the tension that is bound to ensue as a result of this, not only between them but with people around them who will get hurt in the process as well. So what do you think guys??**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Hey guys. First off I would like to thank you guys for all the lovely reviews, because this being my first skate fic and all, I wasn't sure that it would come off in the right way, so thank you for giving me the motivation to continue with this story , and I hope you guys will like this update as well ;)**

Enjoy

As she opened her eyes to greet the new day, she immediately felt awkward and uncomfortable as she briefly surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, and it didn't seem to ease matters when she turned around and was suddenly met with another man in bed with her, the same man she remembered meeting in the bar yesterday. _What have I done?_ She immediately thought to herself, and in that very moment she glanced down at her hand and suddenly caught sight of something that made her feel that much worse, it was the ring on her finger that reminded her of what she had now betrayed and defiled on by sleeping with this man, a man she barely knew as well. Although a tiny part of her couldn't help but feel slightly relieved for some reason, however she didn't give herself time to study that side of her because she was honestly scared of doing so, and with that she bolted out of bed the very next minute to go and gather her clothes which she saw were literally scattered across the floor around the bed. So with that she attempted to get out of bed, but she was suddenly stopped by someone grasping her arm and upon looking at the arm and the person it belonged to, it suddenly brought the realisation and the pain of what she did, back to her.

"Mornin darlin" sawyer announced groggily while attempting to lean forward to capture her lips and in return she half accepted and then smiled nervously at him, not really knowing what to do from here on. She couldn't seem to explain what had just happened though, one minute she was going frantic and crying over what she had done and the minute he pressed his lips to hers, everything just seemed to be okay all of a sudden. _What the hell was going on with her?_ She asked herself,_ well whatever it is I have to get out of here before it gets even more out of hand?_ She warned herself and with that she resumed with getting off the bed and picking her clothes off the floor while trying to avoid sawyer's now confused gaze the whole time.

He knew he shouldn't have cared about the fact that this was obviously just a one night stand to her, and he knew that he didn't have it in him to care, but there was just that little piece in him that wanted to have it again, not just for the money, but for the sudden warm and weird feeling he got whenever he was around her. He knew it was way too early to consider it to be the four letter word, but he was curious to find out if it would eventually lead towards that direction and even though a part of him was a little wary of doing it, he still wanted to find out, so with that he got out of bed, wrapping the sheet around his naked torso and took her by surprise by firstly stopping her from moving and then wrapping his arms around her slender waist and then burying his face in her neck and kissing her in the same spot he knew would make her gasp in weakness, just like she did last night, over and over.

"Sawyer please you have to oohhh….oh god" she managed to get out before throwing her head back and succumbing to the feeling and sensation he was putting her under. With each second that passed, she felt like giving in and melting into the comforting and protective embrace he had engaged her in. However she was suddenly brought back to reality when he suddenly pulled away from her and positioned his laboured breathing mouth next to her ear while saying…

"Do you really want me stop" he said while roughly nuzzling her to hopefully allow her to give into the same feeling he was experiencing at the moment and he was about to continue it further when suddenly they were interrupted by kate's phone going off. At first he begged her to ignore it but she ignored him in response none the less and released herself from his embrace to answer it, and when she saw who it was her heart rate started to race with fear.

"Hey" kate announced softly and tiredly into the phone.

"Hey baby. Where are you?" jack asked with genuine curiosity that almost made kate want to pinch herself to see if this was still the same jack she was talking to. However she threw the bitter thought of the window, because he wasn't the guilty one around here. _Not anymore_, she reminded herself while turning to look at sawyer, who was now laying on the bed looking straight at her.

"Kate" jack asked hoping she was still there.

"Huh. Oh I'm sorry yeah I was just at a friend's and I guess I lost track of time that's all. I promise I'll be home in a few minutes." she confessed hurriedly while trying not to give herself away.

"Okay then I'll see you in a few minutes. I love you." jack expressed and at that moment kate felt like her heart had got ripped out, the realisation of her infidelity coming back to her in painful waves.

"Yeah….you too" she managed to get out, not being able to say it , not because she didn't want to, but because it pained her too much to confess something that she wasn't sure was in her heart anymore.

Following this, she got off the phone with the man in her life and now looked upon the other man in her life now, who started to replace old feelings with new ones she never even knew existed, and especially for someone like him. She had to admit to herself that her initial attraction to him was mostly physical at this point, but she couldn't help but feel if there could be something more as a result, something that could satisfy her in a way she never thought possible.

"So I guess you left that part out huh" the blonde man said, startling the brunette out of her thinking and then making her hang her head in shame over the realisation of his words.

"I'm sorry sawyer I just I.." she managed to get out before sawyer beat her to the chase by firstly giving her one of his dazzling smiles and then moving towards her direction to briefly continue with what he was doing to her, because at this point he blocked out his emotions and focused on the other reason he had engaged himself with her in the first place, and judging by the brief glance at her wedding ring, he knew he may have hit the jackpot after all.

She on the other hand saw it coming and instead of pulling away almost suddenly, she instead leaned forward and melted once again into him, wrapping her arms around his neck while he broke away from her lips to work on her neck, secretly working his charms on her so that this wouldn't be the last time he would be seeing her as a result. He wanted this to continue because of the obvious reason and of course the sex was great and all, but a part of him genuinely enjoyed her company, so with that he pressed his lips further into her skin in an effort to help break her resolve and judging by her moans of appreciation, it was definitely working in his favour.

"When can i see you again?" sawyer asked, his voice breathing heavily on her, and his face still buried within the crevice of her neck, his mouth devouring every inch of her. At that statement she suddenly pulled away completely and looked at him with a pained expression, over thinking that she had led him on all along now and with that she got dressed completely and when she was done she was about to leave when sawyer suddenly stopped her again and leaned forward to firstly capture her lips once again while sneaking a piece of paper into her jeans pocket and when he pulled away, she simply offered him a slight smile in return and then wordlessly walked out of their motel room, clearly having no intention of ever returning, but sawyer on the other hand smiled to himself in a feeling of victory over knowing that it was just a matter of time, a matter of time before she came back for more. His plan was already set in motion, she just didn't know it yet.

**Hey guys there it is. So what do you think??**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Hey guys I'm back with another update and this one will actually be set a few months from where the last update ended, mainly because I didn't wanna drag out the whole affair thing, as I have a lot more planned for this story. So without further interruption here it is and once again thanks guys for the lovely reviews because they truly mean a lot to me and I hope you like this update and please keep them comin. I also hope you guys also like my new fic "Secrets", cause that one might contain some skate as well in later chapters to mainly create some drama, hehe ;)**

Enjoy

Within the duration of the two months that had passed, a lot had happened for one Ms. Austen, as she laid down on her bed in her new apartment, thinking of how her life had changed so drastically, but the one thing she still wasn't sure of as to whether it was for better or worse.

_(Flashback - 2 months ago)_

_The visits she had continued to make with the man that she would have considered to be nothing more than a stranger to her a few weeks ago, was becoming more frequent, a lot more frequent that she would have like it to be, but in some ways she just couldn't help it. There was just something about him that she was drawn to and it definitely wasn't the same thing with jack, she knew that for sure now. However she couldn't keep living like this, lying to herself or lying to the man she was married to. The man who was at work yet again today. His excuse this time was that he was working on some girl's father, who had personally flown in all the way from Italy to have the miracle working Spinal Surgeon performing surgery on her father._

_So with that he was off and now she hadn't seen him for three days straight. Although she wasn't surprised by the action at all, though a part of her still thought and hoped that maybe there was still a chance for them, but after the fourth unanswered call, she decided it was the last straw and with that she sprinted up to her bedroom and started packing up her stuff while wiping away the tears of hurt and regret, not only for their relationship, but for she had been doing to him. She couldn't lie anymore, not when she now had feelings for someone else. _

_Twenty minutes later and she was all packed and now mentally rehearsing what she was gonna say and how she was basically gonna come at this, and at that very moment she was pulled out of her thoughts by the front door being opened and then a voice calling out to her to see if she was there. With one last look in the mirror and a deep breath taken, she prepared herself and went down to meet her husband of three years looking stressed out as usual, but there was something different in him this time, however she could seem to pinpoint it due to the fact that he continued to hang his head to hopefully let it come off as stress to her watchful gaze, but there was something else, but to his good luck she just briefly knitted her eyebrows in confusion and then walked off towards the kitchen area to wash up the dishes in the sink that had been gathering quite considerably. When she actually saw the amount, she was a little taken back by it, was she that troubled by being in this relationship, did it go to this very extent? She asked herself, and once again she was brought out of her thoughts by jack teasingly nudging her side and asking if she was okay. _

_In response, she just gave him a slight smile and went back to busying herself with the dishes, although she was surprisingly joined by jack who in response put it down to being therapeutic or something and with that they continued on in silence until kate decided to break it once and for all._

"_So did you fix her father?" kate asked making jack knit his eyebrows in confusion mainly because he was fixing a lot of people these days, just not the right things. Kate sensed his confusion right away and continued on._

"_What was her name Gabriella?" kate recollected from the time he had briefly told her about the woman., although the she wasn't prepared for what came out of his mouth next._

"_She kissed me" he simply said, not wanting to beat around the bush and in some ways he thought that she would feel better knowing as a result, but the fact that she had now completely frozen in her spot, made him think otherwise, however he went on anyway to hopefully plead his case while trying not to look at her tearful gaze._

"_Yeah she kissed me and…. I kissed her back" he confessed making her gasp in genuine shock, but still she wasn't overly bothered by it because she had done far worse than him, for quite some time now. So with that she made the move to get out of his way to hopefully get some space and think this through for sure, but she was suddenly stopped by jack grasping her shoulders in an effort to be heard._

"_Please just hear me out okay, I just I don't know what came over me, but kate we…" he paused while trying to get a hold on his emotions and when he composed himself enough to think and speak, he continued on._

"_It's just that we don't even talk anymore" he confessed painfully and kate attempted to respond and argue with what he had just said but somehow she couldn't find the will to because she knew it was true to a certain extent, they barely saw each other and it was the very reason she had started seeing sawyer and as a result this is what it had come down to. Finding comfort with someone else instead of the person you should be sharing that comfort with, but even with knowing all of this, it still didn't change her mind in the slightest. So with that she attempted to forcefully move herself out of his way, but this time he just walked right up to her and embraced her tightly while burying his face in her neck and then letting go completely. Of all the frustration and the pain of what he had put them through and once that was done, he felt considerably better, but the fix was temporary as his heart immediately sank with the next thing that came out of her mouth._

"_I'm leaving you" kate admitted tearfully while she was still engaged within his embrace. In response jack instantly pulled away and looked ridiculously upon her and went to argue with her statement, but she repeated it again, this time with more determination in a mere attempt to make it final, giving him little chance to argue but regardless he tried anyway._

"_Please don't do this kate not to us. I promise you that from now on…..I'm…I'm gonna work less and focus on us. I promise baby just please give us a chance" he begged while attempting to take her into his arms once more, but this time she just pushed him away and proceeded with telling him about what she had done. _

"_I've been seeing someone" she paused to look at his reaction and when she did, she wished she had never done it in the first place because she could see that he was hurting, badly._

"_It's just…." she started to say but was forced to pause once again to mainly get a hold on her rapidly falling tears that fell even more harder than his were._

"_I can't stay" she managed to get out and with that she walked out of the kitchen, being stopped on the way by jack weakly calling out to her, but this time she just turned to him and told him why this had happened in the first place._

"_You will always need something to fix" she confessed with emphasis on the word "fix" in an attempt to help him see his problem. _

"_Goodbye" she simply said and with that she went to retrieve her suitcase and walked out the door while leaving jack to collapse onto the floor and drown in his pain and misery._

_(End of flashback)_

That was the last time she had seen him or even attempted to find out about him, and as much as she longed to just give him a call and find out how he was doing, she knew that she no longer had the right or the option to do that anymore. Not since she filed for a divorce three weeks ago even after jack insistently begged her not to.

So now she looked upon her life and then looked upon the person now sleeping soundly beside her with nothing but a content expression on his face, and she wondered yet again, was it worth it or was it just too soon?

**Hey guys there it is and I know that this was quite a jate centric chapter, but I wanted to include kate leaving jack because I felt that it was a compelling moment in this story, of kate finally ending it and moving on, and I promise that there will be more skate interaction from now on because kate's a free woman, well for now anyway. hehe. So what do you think guys?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Hey guys I come bringing the next update which shall see more skate from now on as promised. So without further interruption here it is and once again thanks guys for the lovely reviews because they really motivate me to continue. Thanks and I hope you'll like this one as well ;)**

Enjoy

She must have been lying in the same position, staring at the figure next to her for the last ten minutes, that was until she realized that the figure was now staring at her with nothing but curiosity.

"You okay darlin" sawyer asked while leaning forward to nuzzle kate's naked neck with his light stubble that managed to always make her purr and moan in delight of what was ignited within that one touch. Whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not, she was gradually falling, falling hard for this man who was nothing more than a stranger to her not so long ago.

"Mmmm" was all she could say in response and sawyer just chuckled at the notion of her response and with that he just flipped himself over her completely to start over what they had just finished not so long ago, and with that the only thing that could now be heard in the room was the appreciative moans that they shared for each other and no one else.

Two hours later and they had managed to finally keep themselves from each other and just spent the rest of the time in bed relishing in knowing that they had nothing to do, but kate however thought of something else.

"So what's on the agenda today?" she asked while slowly sneaking her arms around his neck to relish in the feeling he was starting to ignite within her once again. His response at first was to simply lean forward and engage her in a long and passionate kiss and then when he finally pulled away, he suddenly got an idea.

"What?" kate inquired upon noting him to be in deep thought.

"Well I was thinking whether you wanted to go out?" sawyer asked while flashing his dimples at her in an attempt to win her over just like it did every single time when they were together. In some ways this feeling reminded her of how it used to be with jack when they had first started dating , but she knew that this was different, she couldn't pin point exactly what it was at this stage but she could feel it and sense it starting to form.

"So what do ya say sweetheart" sawyer asked again while raising his eyebrows and inching his face closer to hers once again to act on the primal desires that were revving within him as well. He had been with many women to say the least, but none could have compared to the way his freckles, a nickname he would often refer her to, much to her annoyance, would leave him wanting more and more. Although throughout this whole time he had kept his original plans and intentions in mind, but a part of him started to feel something by simply being in this relationship with her, and it was that part that was slowly winning out and annoying him as well to a certain extent, because it was taking his mind off the job, the fact was that she was the job, he kept on reminding and scolding himself on a number of occasions.

"You know what, I think it would be a good idea to get some fresh air. Plus I would love to see what you do. Speaking of, what do you do?" kate curiously inquired making sawyer immediately tense in response and with that he was out of the bed setting out to retrieve his jeans from of the floor and then wordlessly move towards the bathroom, leaving kate to wonder why he would always tense on the subject, but she couldn't help but be curious of what he did and what had even happened to make him so secretive and cut off from his emotions. In some ways she felt like she was living with jack again. She was sick and tired of all the secrets and she sure as hell wasn't gonna have it done to her again. So with that she got out of bed and attempted to firstly knock on the door of the bathroom, but when she found that it was ajar, she walked in through to now find the outline of a broad shouldered figure now moving behind the frosted glass in quite a hurried fashion, she briefly noted, but she continued on anyway with what she wanted to ask him.

"So what are we doing today?" she asked him while looking for a towel so she could wash up quickly. At first she got nothing in response and when that same silence continued on for a little while longer, she gave up and went back to what she was doing previously, although once she turned around, she was startled to find him now standing at the entrance of the shower cubicle with his right hand stretched out in her direction. However that wasn't the thing she was focusing on at the moment.

The one thing she had the pleasure of knowing about him was that he was never too shy to do and say things that other people would literally blush at, at the thought, and her face was definitely turning a different shade at the sight of him standing there in all his glory, not even hurrying to find some way of covering himself up.

"So like what you see freckles" sawyer teased while slowly inching his way towards her and then making the move to unwrap her towel which was previously wrapped tightly around her body. In response she just smiled and closed her eyes to try and get a hold of her hormones, because all they were telling her to do right now was to quench the certain aches her body was now experiencing at his touch, and it didn't seem to get any better when his hands started to roam the entire expanse of her naked body while his mouth worked on every inch of her moist and exposed neck, and within that moment she literally lost all train of thought and decided to act on her primal desires which was by simply pulling him into the shower cubicle with her. However during that length of time when she was completely lost in his caresses and kisses, a tiny little part of her was still trying to focus on asking him the question she had wanted to know for a long time, so with that she pulled away completely from the entanglement he had engaged her in at the moment, and when she did, she just gazed intently into his dark and now lust filled eyes, literally begging her to not stop and for a minute she simply felt like giving into the feeling, but the voice in the back of her head was reminding her yet again of what she had to know, so she took a deep breath and went forward with it by asking him the obvious thing of all, because she felt that if she knew, then it would solidify and progress what she hoped they would have.

"What are we doing Sawyer?" she asked him with all seriousness in her tone and in response he just offered her a confused expression which soon turned into an amusing one.

"Well sweetheart I think we were right about here." he simply replied while attempting to engage with her once again, but this time kate pushed him off with a little more force and just looked at him in a way, as to say _"you know what I mean", _and with that he walked out of the cubicle to try and think of a way to get himself out of this, because whether he liked to admit it or not, he too felt he was in deep, a lot deeper than he would have liked to be. In some ways to the very extent where he felt like telling her everything, but in the end his sub conscious reminded him to see this through because she was his only way out of this debt, which had been hanging over his head for quite some time.

Although as he made the move to go and dress, he was suddenly stopped by a smaller arm grasping his own with nothing but meaning and determination. Determination to find out just who he really was.

"Why won't you tell me!" she demanded while trying to push back the tears that were now screaming to be let out. With hearing that he was prepared to end it right there and then, because to be honest he was a little sick and tired of having to explain himself to everyone, constantly judging him and his ways. However he made the mistake of looking back at her and once he did, he was now faced with her pained and desperate gaze, and in response he immediately got the sudden urge to take her in his arms and make it all go away, but in the end he restrained himself because being the kind of guy he was, he rarely allowed his emotions to surface, mainly because he was sick and tired of feeling that way. His whole childhood was based on nothing but sadness and regret and he sure as hell wasn't going to go through with it again, not now, not ever. So with that he hung his head for a few minutes and then attempted to respond, but it was hard to, especially now with the fact that kate had inched herself closer to him, so that she could get a closer look at what exactly was going on inside that head of his.

"Please just tell me what's going on" she pleadingly whispered to him while gently stroking the side of his face, slowly breaking his resolve and at that very moment he came up with a decision, a decision that could jeopardise things for him completely.

"Dress and I'll show you" he simply replied once he raised his gaze to meet her now truly confused one.

**Dun Dun Dun. Hehe. So there it is guys and for the next few chapters we might see a little change in their relationship. I won't say anymore, instead I'll just leave you guys to tell me what ya think of it so far ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Hey guys I'm back with another skate filled and slightly angsty update as well, but it will all work out in the end which is no way near, hehe. Hope you guys like this update and once again thank you for all the lovely reviews, they truly make my day and motivate me to write as well, so thanks and please keep them comin ;)**

Enjoy

"Show me what?" Kate asked the man who was now intently focused on her gaze and her reaction to the start of his confession. At that point a part of him felt like telling her everything and if this had happened a few months ago he probably would have, but now things were different. He was different and his feelings towards her had also changed considerably and built some form of a conscience within him. Enough to make him actually feel the pain and betrayal which was clearly present on her beautiful and freckled face.

"Just dress and I'll show ya" Sawyer simply replied while trying so hard to avoid her gaze from that point on and much to his good luck she wordlessly left him there and went into the bathroom to follow his instructions.

Tem minutes later and she was ready and standing right in front of him, now waiting for him to show her what had gotten him so on edge all of a sudden.

"C'mon" Sawyer simply said and then took hold of her hand to lead her to his secret. Half an hour later and they were now parked at the side of a normal suburban like house, Kate noted on her brief observation, but she still couldn't figure out why he had brought her here in the first place. However just as she was about to ask him, she was suddenly met with the sight of a brown haired woman now coming out of that very house pushing a pram with a precious little baby girl inside it. A baby girl with blonde hair and creamy skin she noticed clearly. As she looked back at Sawyer, she was amazed by how entranced he was by this child. Like he knew her and had a connection with her all along, and then all of a sudden it hit her.

"Oh my God is she…is she?" Kate managed to get out while covering up her now gasping mouth and trying to also push back the tears of hurt and devastation over what she had surmised already and unfortunately for her, her assumptions seemed to be right judging by the watery look which was now present within his gaze.

"Her name's Clementine" he admitted while hanging his head, not in shame of revealing his 1 year old daughter, but of what he had done to the one person he felt he could possibly love, despite who and what he was.

"Why?" Kate simply asked while trying to compose herself into a sustainable condition. He didn't respond right away with an explanation, instead he just hung his head further, to try and compose himself enough to speak , knowing how much hurt he had caused her over revealing this now and so suddenly, but he knew that he couldn't realistically give her a reason for keeping his daughter a secret. He had no choice but to, because if he didn't get the money his Boss was still demanding off him, then he would be faced with a gravestone and his Daughter's name on it and he simply couldn't live with that, not as long as he was around.

"Why?" Kate asked again while unhooking her seatbelt and then attempting to lean closer to him so he could look her in the eye while saying it.

"I can't" he simply whispered while trying to push back his tears even further at the fact that everything was falling apart. However he was rather surprised to now feel her inching even closer to him and then pull him into a hug which he tried to fight within at first, because he felt that he didn't deserve this. _Hell she didn't even know the rest of it,_ he said to himself, thinking again of the reason he had invested himself into this relationship in the first place and from that point onwards he knew that he couldn't go any further, that he couldn't do this to her. He would have to find another way. So with that he pulled away from her completely and shocked her further when he undid his seatbelt and got out of the car and out of her life, but Kate on other hand was not about to give up, not this time.

"Sawyer where are you going" Kate exclaimed in a ridiculous manner making the southerner stop in his tracks right away on hearing the sheer amount of pain in her voice, pain that he had been the cause of and it made it that much worse for him.

"Just go" Sawyer uttered while keeping his back turned to her , hoping that she would follow his simple instructions, but a part of him knew that it would take a lot more to throw her off in any way.

"I'm not leaving without you" Kate replied while walking up to his now slouched form stressing over the fact that she wasn't letting go.

"Your heard me, I'm not letting you go that easily" Kate repeated herself again, this time coming to the front of him and grasping the sides of his tense and pained face. Although the next minute she was surprised to find herself being grasped quite roughly by the shoulders by the one and only…

"Look sweetheart just get the hell outta here, because if you found out about half the things I've done in my damn life, you wouldn't even wanna consider me as your friend. So please just……. just go Kate" Sawyer uttered, his voice filled with a sense of determination, but she on the other hand could also sense that he was just using it to mask the obvious pain he was feeling on the inside. It's what she knew he would do whenever he had to face his problems.

"I'm not leaving you…..I can't" she simply kept on saying now inches away from his face, gradually breaking his resolve over whether they could really make it through this. However a part of him was a tad bit curious as to why she was forgiving him about this so easily, why couldn't she just let go, he thought to himself, and in the end his curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to ask her once and for all, in some ways to make it official, not only to her but to a part of him as well.

"You can't?" Sawyer replied in somewhat of a ridiculous manner to make her look like she was talking like a crazy person, not even realizing how deep she already was.

"No I can't because I ….." Kate managed to get out before the rest of the words couldn't seem to come out, because this was a big step for her and to what she still hoped their relationship would evolve into from this moment on.

"Just go" Sawyer whispered to her while gradually removing her trembling hands from the sides of his face so that he could make the move to act on his instruction if she failed to. However as he tried to pull away from her, she suddenly took him by complete surprise and grasped the back of his head, forcing his lips to hers in a more than passionate gesture, one that he was forced to not pull away from. Firstly because he found it hard to fight within the possessive grip she now had on him, and secondly he didn't really wanna pull away, because he felt that this might be the last time that he would ever get to taste these lips and how weirdly right it felt against his, so he made the daring decision of continuing the kiss with equal passion, now grasping her in the same way she did him just a few seconds ago.

After what seemed like days, they finally pulled apart, gasping for forgotten breath they didn't really care to have during their loving entanglement, which they were still partially engaged in at the moment.

"I love you" Kate suddenly found the genuine will to utter and express with all her heart, making the man opposite her gasp in absolute shock, of not believing that this was happening in the slightest. Although as much as a part of him wanted to return it with the same feeling and intent, he knew that he couldn't because getting himself even deeper than he already was, meant that there was no way he would be able to further his business intentions. So with that in mind he tried to pull away from her yet again, this time making more of an effort to break free from this life because it was simply too painful to dwell within it anymore.

"Please don't go, I can help you through this, we can do this together!!" Kate pleaded with him one last time in an effort to get him to understand that she wanted to be there for him, especially in his time of need. However they clearly weren't on the right page, or just not there yet, judging by what came out of Sawyer's mouth the very next minute.

"I can't, I'm sorry" Sawyer softly uttered while taking one last long look at her, and then walking off in the opposite direction, leaving her broken and alone, just like he was and felt like now as he walked further away from the woman he had taken great comfort in for the past few months.

**So what do you think so far guys?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Hey guys. First off I wanna sincerely apologise for not updating sooner, but I wouldn't wanna get into it and bore you to death as a result, hehe. So without further interruption here you go guys, and I hope you'll like it ;)**

**P.S. Thanks for the reviews!!**

Enjoy

Long after he had gone, she just remained there. Sitting in her car and thinking just how much her life had indeed changed, but not in the way she would have expected or possibly liked for that matter. This was mainly due to the fact that she was still being surrounded by lies. A thing she thought she wouldn't have to deal with after her previous relationship. The one that had started out in a good and momentous way, but over the years the small things between her and Jack started to get more bigger and as a result it turned into something else altogether, and for a moment she felt like that person again, especially when Sawyer revealed Clementine so unexpectedly to her.

_Why wouldn't he want to tell me in the first place? _Was the next question that plagued her mind. Along with the other ones that somehow linked up to this man. This man whom she had only known for a few months, but none the less within those few months she had really gotten to know what really lurked beneath the surface. However much to her misfortune she was not as perceptible enough to not pick up on this one.

(Meanwhile)

He had no destination in mind at the moment other than the one primary mission. Of getting as far away from this place as possible, specifically the one thing that had kept him sane through the entire time. However like everything good in his life, it was always short lived. Even the fatherly duties he longed to offer to the little girl who he swore was a splitting image of him. Her even inheriting the ever so charming dimples that had always gotten him nearly everything he wanted. _Well guess that ain't the case now, _the Southerner had to sadly remind himself as he continued to drag his feet along the seemingly endless foot path. His thoughts consuming him so much that he wasn't even aware that he was being watched and followed closely by two forms perfectly veiled by the surfacing darkness of the night.

(Back at the apartment)

She begrudgingly put her key through the keyhole of the door. Knowing very well what lurked behind or more so the lack of it. The welcome of the ear buzzing silence being a constant reminder of what she had to give up and live with as a result. Even with her confession and all. The one thing she felt could cement their relationship.

_I've got to do something, _the brunette reminded herself as she finally stepped foot into her apartment. The shutting of the front door echoing through the entire expanse of the room she was in at the moment, and with experiencing that sense of loneliness as a result of the sound, she finally gave into her pent up emotions. Her form slowly colliding to the floor along with the possibility of a future. Little did she know that fate was already working things.

After having a proper fifteen minutes of just letting everything out, she decided to get up and keep herself busy with something, but that would now have to wait for another time cause the sound of a faint knocking on the front door was a sure and obvious sign that she now had company.

"I told you people I'm not interes……..Jack?" was all she could find the will to pronounce. Her genuine expression of shock really making her an object of cuteness and perfection in the brown eyes of the man opposite her.

(Meanwhile)

He still carried on walking, the pain on the soles of his feet developing into that of a throbbing sensation, but it seemed that his thoughts gained precedence here. His thoughts of what could have been with the one person he could have seen it happening with. She was everything a man could have ever dreamed for, both on the outside and on the inside.

_Forget about her man, she ain't worth your time, _an almost soulless voice spoke out. At first he thought that it was just a figment of his imagination, but as it was repeated again, he soon took it upon himself to turn around and face it. Him preparing himself for the possible worst over what he might have to face as a result of his clearly careless actions, now and in the past.

"Got a damn problem" the southerner chose as his form of a "compliment" A gesture the two now visibly armed forms across from him expected to receive, judging by what their boss told them about the Con man.

"Well we don't personally have a problem with you Sir but we know and work for someone who does, and boy has he got a bone to pick with you." one of the people told the blonde man while trying to convey some form of a knowing look, but as they anticipated he failed to pick up on it. Which could have been due to the fact that it was quite hard to make out anything within the darkness.

"Whatever. Look just tell whoever it is you work for that you've got the wrong guy." Sawyer replied while wearing a deadly expression, and when the two people across from him failed to respond to his statement, he decided to just leave and walk out of this, but he suddenly found himself being stopped by those very forms. Their body language coming off calm but weary.

"Oh I think we do……..James Ford." one of the voices uttered before the other initiated a punch that literally blew the wind out of the Southerner. However he was relatively fast on the recovery, and within seconds he was retaliating in the best way he knew how. Although it seemed like his efforts seemed quite effortless against his opponents. Their obvious experience in this area showing the Southerner that he had no chance of ever winning or even coming out of this alive for that matter.

"You got the wron……ahhhhh" the blonde man tried reasoning with them while trying to gain a hold on his breathing while each punch was initiated. The outcome of the attack landing him on the floor, and even then to they hadn't stopped. Instead they reverted to using their feet. Each one of their co-ordinating blows making the man below them that much weaker, and he knew that a continuation of this would finish him in a matter of a few minutes, and when it seemed like that time was nearing, he closed his eyes, accepting his fate now and in turn being welcomed with something else.

The light hurt his eyes, but his feet continued to pull him forward towards what he assumed to be the end of this long tunnel. On his way there he was met with flashes. Flashes that merely contained an array of images. Images he assumed to be his life.

"I love you honey, and I always will" was the last thing he saw and heard before he was blinded by an even brighter light.

In the corner of the small room stood a small blue crib. The incessant cries of a baby immediately filling the room, but the odd thing was that no one was tending to it, and when he finally took it upon himself to take care of it, he found that there wasn't anything in there, other than a matching blue blanket and the name "Ford" engraved over the headboard of the crib.

"_I love you honey, and I always will" _

He heard it again and he couldn't help but be welcomed with a familiar sense of warmth. However as the warmth washed over him, he started to get the hint of a fragrance as well. It smelled like white lilies on a summer day, but the interruption of another voice wiped it from his presence straight away. All he was left with now was the crib and the blanket he was grasping tightly within his hands.

"Sir, sir just stay with us." was the faint voice he heard in the background while his focus still lay on the crib before him. The engraved name startling him to say the least.

"Come on!! Damn it, we're losing him!" the same voice uttered, but this time in a louder and more authoritative manner, and with that sense of knowing now present within his mind, he dropped to the floor. His consciousness almost seizing to exist within this almost desolate reality, and into another which seemed more real to him, judging by the circulating pain he felt all over his aching and bruised body.

"He's back, he's back." he heard one of the green uniformed people above him exclaim in relief and joy, and with that he found himself in motion within an object that created that feeling for him.

"What are you doing here Jack, and how did you find me?" the still gob smacked brunette expressed while standing in front of the entrance to her apartment.

"Let's just say that a little birdie told me that you'd be here." he teased back while offering her a heart felt smile. A gesture that forced her to let out a smirk of her very own. Her mind temporarily dismissing the current status of their relationship, especially when she allowed him to come in the very next moment.

"So can I get you anything to drink or……"

"No I'm good thanks. I just wanted to see you. I mean just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean we can't be friends right." he offered in a casual manner, but the growing smirk surfacing over his chiselled features was a clear enough signal to her that he was here for a reason and the fact that he usually had a hard time letting things go was also a form of evidence to back up her assumptions of what he could have possibly planned the moment he stepped through that front door.

"Right. So……."

"So……" Jack followed suit in the same dragged out manner and yet again she couldn't help but chuckle while also trying to suppress the sudden wave of what seemed like the familiar symptoms of nausea hitting her, and Jack was more than observant to pick up on it right away. The side of the Doctor within him being unleashed to the surface. A feature that had become a natural tendency over the years of being a Doctor, or as Kate liked to call it, an obsession he chose over everything.

"That's it just let it all out." he coxed her from behind while allowing his hand to rub across the expanse of her trembling back. The touch and interaction sending shivers reverberating throughout his entire body, and he hoped that she felt the same way, but his hopes were shattered once again when she sub-consciously pulled away from him, her hand reaching out for the towel that thankfully lay right in front of her, and once she cleaned herself up, she was out of there, dismissing him completely. Leading him to believe and reluctantly accept that maybe her feelings for him had changed. Changed in a way he hoped she wouldn't. However for the time being that would have to wait because the incessant beeping of his beeper signalled one thing and one thing only, he was needed back at the Hospital, and judging by what the brief message said, it appeared to be relatively urgent. So with that he let himself out of the bathroom, his feet stopping him short in front of the sobbing brunette. His only guess of the cause now being the phone she was holding in her right hand.

**Well there it is guys and don't worry cause come next chap we'll see some recurring skate fluff, and Kate tending to Sawyer in the best way possible, hehe. So what do you think guys? Would you like to see more, or should moi call it a day and close up shop on this fic altogether??**


	7. Chapter 7

****

Chapter 7

**So first off thanks so much for all the support guys. It is considerably hard to write for a ship when you strongly support another, but I****'m the kind of person who likes to conquer new things so thanks for giving me the chance to be able to do that guys and without further interruption here's the new instalment.**

Enjoy

"Kate what's wrong?" Jack urgently asked of her as she continued to remain silent, still reeling her mind around what she had just been informed over the phone.

"Kate." Jack urged in a slightly louder tone in an attempt to get her attention and thankfully it immediately snapped her out of the almost catatonic state she was slowly slipping into the more she kept hearing the one name she dreaded to hear, especially along with the words "St. Sebastian's Hospital". She could only assume the worst of the worst but was still with it enough to reveal the place she felt she was needed at the most and lucky for her the man opposite her was also heading there.

(The Hospital)

They thankfully managed to calm him down with the aid of some medication of course, but they were really left with no option in the end considering the physically critical condition he was in at the moment. Making matters any more worse than they already were could possibly bring forth something fatal as a result and that was the last thing the Doctors wanted.

All they could do now was keep him stabilised once the specific help they called or more so paged for, arrived.

* * *

"Did they say how serious it was?"

"Well they said she had a heart attack so I'm thinking it's pretty damn serious!!" Kate snapped and immediately muttered an apology for her rather erratic behaviour, Jack noticed as he paid keen notice to the changes. He of course had his assumptions to the possible reason but kept his mouth shut seeing that it wasn't his place or his business for that matter.

So with that he focused his attention back on the road ahead giving Kate the chance to think over things and also prepare herself for the worst.

A half hour later and they finally pulled into the parking lot of the Hospital, and before Jack could get out of his car, Kate was already heading towards the main entrance. He of course never thought to question it because he knew he would pretty much react in the same manner if he found out his own Mother had suffered a heart attack.

"Can I help you Ma…..Mr's Shepherd it so nice to see you again." The receptionist offered in an elated manner but that surely wasn't the case with Kate who just physically flinched at still being referred to with that surname. Never the less she got past the hurt and anger and focused her mind on the reason she was here in the first place.

_Mom._

"I'm looking for a Diane Austin. I got a call saying she was admitted in a few hours ago." Kate hurriedly explained while Jack joined her in the seemingly endless wait.

"Yes she was and she's now in room no.48. Doctor Silverman is in there with her at the moment so if……." The woman started out but didn't really get a chance to finish because Kate was already gone leaving Jack to offer a brief apology to Kathy the receptionist who completely understood the situation. She and Kate had always been relatively good friends in the past but of late she had wondered what changed, especially now.

A thousand thoughts loomed through her head on the way there but nothing could have prepared her for the sight she was graced with when she arrived. She looked so terribly pale and sunken that it filled Kate's heart with nothing but fear, though the sight also filled her with a sense of determination from the initial anger she felt at knowing that no one else was responsible for this but Wayne.

"Hey Kate" Marc softly uttered in an attempt to not disrupt the rest he felt his patient desperately needed in an effort to be taken of the respirator she was on at the moment.

"How is she?" she asked in a trembled tone clearly suggesting the arrival of what she couldn't keep pent up anymore and before she could completely break Marc took it upon himself and pulled her into a friendly hug while assuring her that Diane would be up and walking in no time.

He was never really a big believer in false hope but Kate was one of his dearest friends and the last thing he wanted her to feel was hopeless.

(Meanwhile)

"Dr. Shepherd." Kathy called out before Jack could attempt to follow the path Kate had already taken and with a disgruntled sigh elicited he turned himself around. Truthfully longing to be with Kate instead in her obvious time of need, but he also reminded himself of the fact that he still had a job to do. A job he loved with a passion but sadly enough all it could ever bring him was self accomplishment when it reality all he ever wanted was to be appreciated and loved in the way he thought Kate did.

_He still wanted to believe in that…._

"Jack, are you alright?" Kathy questioned in genuine concern for him and he just wordlessly nodded while giving her his attention as she briefly affirmed him of the patient he was paged about, and with being offered the details of the injury and present location of the patient he was off hoping this would be quick so he could get back to Kate and be there for her. However everything came to a standstill when he finally came face to face with the latest patient he assumed was the one he would be working on, but did he really want to now, especially after all the hurt and trouble this very man had caused him and his family in the past.

"James."

* * *

"Uhh….sorry about that." The brunette apologised in shame for turning into a bubbling mess and in front of a stranger no less.

"C'mon, you, me and Jack go way back. Plus it's perfectly understandable so you have nothing to be sorry about."

"So what are her chances Marc and please be honest with me" Kate asked while trying to avoid the other thing she sensed was on Marc's mind. Though that problem would have to be picked up at another time because her Mother was lying virtually lifeless before her and she grew even less hopeful by the distinct silence which followed her question.

"Kate I…. Kate!! Kate!!" Marc started out but the minute he lifted his gaze to meet hers she had already collapsed in assumed exhaustion but little did he know that there was a lot more to it.

**So how does Jack know Sawyer and will he also find out that this man was the ****sole reason his marriage fell apart?**

**Is Kate pregnant?**

**Will Kate ever find out about Sawyer or will something be done to stop her from knowing in the first place?**

**Will Diane be okay?**

**All will surely be revealed**** and answered once you guys let me know what you thought. I promise an update will soon follow because I now have a clear idea on the direction I want to take this fic in. **

**Clementine's Mother may also make a surprise appearance in the next few chapters and no it isn't Cassidy. It's someone who might be friendly and harmless at first but in some ways may later prove to be a formidable threat to Sawyer and Kate, but more so Kate…..**

**So what do you think guys?**


End file.
